Australian Football

AustralianFootball.com Celebrating the history of the great Australian game

 

Key Facts

Full name
William Harwood

Known as
Bill Harwood

Born
15 September 1920

Died
6 September 1980 (aged 59)

Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 19y 232d
Last game: 27y 320d

Height and weight
Height: 178 cm
Weight: 76 kg

Senior clubs
Geelong; South Melbourne

Jumper numbers
Geelong: 12, 15, 17
South Melbourne: 19

Recruited from
Geelong (1942); South Melbourne (1946)

Bill Harwood

Advanced stats
ClubLeagueCareer spanGamesGoalsAvgWin %AKIAHBAMKBV
GeelongV/AFL1940-1941, 1946-194869160.2339%———3
South MelbourneV/AFL19421550.3367%———0
V/AFL1940-1942, 1946-194884210.2544%———3
Total1940-1942, 1946-194884210.2544%———3

AFL: 4,780th player to appear, 2,924th most games played, 3,630th most goals kickedGeelong: 436th player to appear, 259th most games played, 342nd most goals kickedSouth Melbourne: 592nd player to appear, 689th most games played, 627th most goals kicked

Fleet of foot, well balanced, tough and a fine kick with either foot Bill Harwood served Geelong well in 69 VFL games in 1940 and 1941 and from 1946 to 1948. Not much given to baulking and dodging, he preferred running hard and straight at his target, be it man or ball. Once in possession he was quick to dispose of the ball, usually by means of his favoured drop kick. Often used as a wingman, he could also hold down either a half forward or half back flank.

In 1942 when Geelong was temporarily in recess Harwood played 15 games for South Melbourne, kicking five goals to supplement the 16 registered with the Cats.

Author - John Devaney

Sources

Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers by Russell Holmesby & Jim Main; Wikipedia article; Cats' Tales by Col Hutchinson

Footnotes

* Behinds calculated from the 1965 season on.
+ Score at the end of extra time.